tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91980107792087462952015-08-01T22:35:24.021-07:00Ben's Drum CollectionBen Arnoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12158596293607665852noreply@blogger.comBlogger176125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198010779208746295.post-44608407387384843882015-07-12T12:20:00.001-07:002015-07-12T20:37:23.312-07:00Toy CymbalsI like anything that makes noise. I have a collection of odd cymbals, some of which have been discussed in other posts, that I thought would be fun for you readers to actually hear. Please keep in mind that everything was recorded with a digital camera and that all of the playing was done with one hand.<br /><br /><b>The Splat</b><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VB9PK2sRx-o/VaKxNW2N09I/AAAAAAAACRU/VU_Haa8idIg/s1600/015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VB9PK2sRx-o/VaKxNW2N09I/AAAAAAAACRU/VU_Haa8idIg/s320/015.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">This is a special cymbal for me and I have had it a long time. I bought it and a snare drum for $10 at a yard sale. The cymbal was one of my first experiments. The cymbal is 10" and is made of very thin sheet brass which I drilled and added a bunch of rivets. It sounds pretty weird but in the right spots, is perfect.&nbsp;</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object width="320" height="266" class="BLOG_video_class" id="BLOG_video-db4bb86c51d174f1" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="movie" value="//www.youtube.com/get_player"><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="flashvars" value="flvurl=http://redirector.googlevideo.com/videoplayback?id%3Ddb4bb86c51d174f1%26itag%3D5%26source%3Dblogger%26app%3Dblogger%26cmo%3Dsensitive_content%3Dyes%26ip%3D0.0.0.0%26ipbits%3D0%26expire%3D1440660950%26sparams%3Dip,ipbits,expire,id,itag,source%26signature%3D731FE9F438D0C5ABAFB15BACE733B53E977E1532.943E53A843849A47D2AB38D20B3DAD8D244B06C0%26key%3Dck2&amp;iurl=http://video.google.com/ThumbnailServer2?app%3Dblogger%26contentid%3Ddb4bb86c51d174f1%26offsetms%3D5000%26itag%3Dw160%26sigh%3DDWRivWkTBnJ_NDCcpeXU7NXxrh0&amp;autoplay=0&amp;ps=blogger"><embed src="//www.youtube.com/get_player" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="320" height="266" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashvars="flvurl=http://redirector.googlevideo.com/videoplayback?id%3Ddb4bb86c51d174f1%26itag%3D5%26source%3Dblogger%26app%3Dblogger%26cmo%3Dsensitive_content%3Dyes%26ip%3D0.0.0.0%26ipbits%3D0%26expire%3D1440660950%26sparams%3Dip,ipbits,expire,id,itag,source%26signature%3D731FE9F438D0C5ABAFB15BACE733B53E977E1532.943E53A843849A47D2AB38D20B3DAD8D244B06C0%26key%3Dck2&iurl=http://video.google.com/ThumbnailServer2?app%3Dblogger%26contentid%3Ddb4bb86c51d174f1%26offsetms%3D5000%26itag%3Dw160%26sigh%3DDWRivWkTBnJ_NDCcpeXU7NXxrh0&autoplay=0&ps=blogger" allowFullScreen="true" /></object></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">&nbsp;This recording is the cymbal by itself. It's so light that it works well on a hi hat clutch. The rivets &nbsp;are heavy enough that it doesn't make sound when &nbsp;you play the pedal.</div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object width="320" height="266" class="BLOG_video_class" id="BLOG_video-b1f3d0a9e6a873ce" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="movie" value="//www.youtube.com/get_player"><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="flashvars" value="flvurl=http://redirector.googlevideo.com/videoplayback?id%3Db1f3d0a9e6a873ce%26itag%3D5%26source%3Dblogger%26app%3Dblogger%26cmo%3Dsensitive_content%3Dyes%26ip%3D0.0.0.0%26ipbits%3D0%26expire%3D1440660950%26sparams%3Dip,ipbits,expire,id,itag,source%26signature%3D255D1D6167C67B5A1F41E7511A4EF133C5DF98A7.B10D0129C366967D93B069585D139E59AB1187B9%26key%3Dck2&amp;iurl=http://video.google.com/ThumbnailServer2?app%3Dblogger%26contentid%3Db1f3d0a9e6a873ce%26offsetms%3D5000%26itag%3Dw160%26sigh%3DsJy0ngj2MfgW9sU5rPa_I-6uvMo&amp;autoplay=0&amp;ps=blogger"><embed src="//www.youtube.com/get_player" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="320" height="266" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashvars="flvurl=http://redirector.googlevideo.com/videoplayback?id%3Db1f3d0a9e6a873ce%26itag%3D5%26source%3Dblogger%26app%3Dblogger%26cmo%3Dsensitive_content%3Dyes%26ip%3D0.0.0.0%26ipbits%3D0%26expire%3D1440660950%26sparams%3Dip,ipbits,expire,id,itag,source%26signature%3D255D1D6167C67B5A1F41E7511A4EF133C5DF98A7.B10D0129C366967D93B069585D139E59AB1187B9%26key%3Dck2&iurl=http://video.google.com/ThumbnailServer2?app%3Dblogger%26contentid%3Db1f3d0a9e6a873ce%26offsetms%3D5000%26itag%3Dw160%26sigh%3DsJy0ngj2MfgW9sU5rPa_I-6uvMo&autoplay=0&ps=blogger" allowFullScreen="true" /></object></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is the cymbal mixed into a groove.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>The Crasher</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wbxPi626_FE/VaKxLgYTJ3I/AAAAAAAACRI/ZbWaxBMLGrM/s1600/014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wbxPi626_FE/VaKxLgYTJ3I/AAAAAAAACRI/ZbWaxBMLGrM/s320/014.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The Crasher is a pair of Royce cymbals that I found. They are thin and have warped edges. These edges allow them to sit on top of each other without getting stuck together and thus make a cool sound.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wbxPi626_FE/VaKxLgYTJ3I/AAAAAAAACRI/ZbWaxBMLGrM/s1600/014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><object width="320" height="266" class="BLOG_video_class" id="BLOG_video-4c9ec9c25adbf4b5" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="movie" value="//www.youtube.com/get_player"><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="flashvars" value="flvurl=http://redirector.googlevideo.com/videoplayback?id%3D4c9ec9c25adbf4b5%26itag%3D5%26source%3Dblogger%26app%3Dblogger%26cmo%3Dsensitive_content%3Dyes%26ip%3D0.0.0.0%26ipbits%3D0%26expire%3D1440660950%26sparams%3Dip,ipbits,expire,id,itag,source%26signature%3D054D2D08567955AB7B11C91FA2AF14F325DF7145.6464F4C9188DC9CE3252F99D3B2CFB62D1460473%26key%3Dck2&amp;iurl=http://video.google.com/ThumbnailServer2?app%3Dblogger%26contentid%3D4c9ec9c25adbf4b5%26offsetms%3D5000%26itag%3Dw160%26sigh%3DlxQnc0GLPEmlB3HAavz_JROoVvQ&amp;autoplay=0&amp;ps=blogger"><embed src="//www.youtube.com/get_player" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="320" height="266" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashvars="flvurl=http://redirector.googlevideo.com/videoplayback?id%3D4c9ec9c25adbf4b5%26itag%3D5%26source%3Dblogger%26app%3Dblogger%26cmo%3Dsensitive_content%3Dyes%26ip%3D0.0.0.0%26ipbits%3D0%26expire%3D1440660950%26sparams%3Dip,ipbits,expire,id,itag,source%26signature%3D054D2D08567955AB7B11C91FA2AF14F325DF7145.6464F4C9188DC9CE3252F99D3B2CFB62D1460473%26key%3Dck2&iurl=http://video.google.com/ThumbnailServer2?app%3Dblogger%26contentid%3D4c9ec9c25adbf4b5%26offsetms%3D5000%26itag%3Dw160%26sigh%3DlxQnc0GLPEmlB3HAavz_JROoVvQ&autoplay=0&ps=blogger" allowFullScreen="true" /></object></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here is what both cymbals sound like. Apart, they sound terrible but I dig the sound they make together. I have tried to adjust the tension, i.e. making the cymbals clamp tighter together, but it doesn't work. Only having the cymbals lay on top of one another in a loose fashion works.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Toy Hand Cymbals</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PdjUHaSVm20/VaKxNM20PNI/AAAAAAAACRQ/6RH3dajGxuM/s1600/016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PdjUHaSVm20/VaKxNM20PNI/AAAAAAAACRQ/6RH3dajGxuM/s320/016.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;">This is a pair of mini hand cymbals that would come with a kid's instrument set. They sound terrible when crashed together.</span></div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PdjUHaSVm20/VaKxNM20PNI/AAAAAAAACRQ/6RH3dajGxuM/s1600/016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><object width="320" height="266" class="BLOG_video_class" id="BLOG_video-99999968fd5bb4ca" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="movie" value="//www.youtube.com/get_player"><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="flashvars" value="flvurl=http://redirector.googlevideo.com/videoplayback?id%3D99999968fd5bb4ca%26itag%3D5%26source%3Dblogger%26app%3Dblogger%26cmo%3Dsensitive_content%3Dyes%26ip%3D0.0.0.0%26ipbits%3D0%26expire%3D1440660950%26sparams%3Dip,ipbits,expire,id,itag,source%26signature%3D50E7B3EB52F003E553A8EAE39BD2D35FD79AC7DE.5EC9B8963FC25775588B247F4C64CD4D4E15D4C9%26key%3Dck2&amp;iurl=http://video.google.com/ThumbnailServer2?app%3Dblogger%26contentid%3D99999968fd5bb4ca%26offsetms%3D5000%26itag%3Dw160%26sigh%3DwnMHc5FBT3T4MjsgroTNQItJcgI&amp;autoplay=0&amp;ps=blogger"><embed src="//www.youtube.com/get_player" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="320" height="266" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashvars="flvurl=http://redirector.googlevideo.com/videoplayback?id%3D99999968fd5bb4ca%26itag%3D5%26source%3Dblogger%26app%3Dblogger%26cmo%3Dsensitive_content%3Dyes%26ip%3D0.0.0.0%26ipbits%3D0%26expire%3D1440660950%26sparams%3Dip,ipbits,expire,id,itag,source%26signature%3D50E7B3EB52F003E553A8EAE39BD2D35FD79AC7DE.5EC9B8963FC25775588B247F4C64CD4D4E15D4C9%26key%3Dck2&iurl=http://video.google.com/ThumbnailServer2?app%3Dblogger%26contentid%3D99999968fd5bb4ca%26offsetms%3D5000%26itag%3Dw160%26sigh%3DwnMHc5FBT3T4MjsgroTNQItJcgI&autoplay=0&ps=blogger" allowFullScreen="true" /></object></div><div>However, they work wonders for snare drum sounds. This is an older studio trick where you can change the sound of the snare by adding a splash cymbal. It gives the drum a snappier sound, especially when heard through good microphones. I like using these cymbals for this so I don't mess up my good splash cymbals and because these cymbals have a little handle attached, it makes it easier to get them off the drum when I'm finished.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object width="320" height="266" class="BLOG_video_class" id="BLOG_video-bc9b0e74ea6d4975" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="movie" value="//www.youtube.com/get_player"><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="flashvars" value="flvurl=http://redirector.googlevideo.com/videoplayback?id%3Dbc9b0e74ea6d4975%26itag%3D5%26source%3Dblogger%26app%3Dblogger%26cmo%3Dsensitive_content%3Dyes%26ip%3D0.0.0.0%26ipbits%3D0%26expire%3D1440660950%26sparams%3Dip,ipbits,expire,id,itag,source%26signature%3D5F86DEDDB546AE9A454B3FDD36E13DAC7B545B4D.6B0754880425F42DD0EDB0C5CCD86B91AEB940C4%26key%3Dck2&amp;iurl=http://video.google.com/ThumbnailServer2?app%3Dblogger%26contentid%3Dbc9b0e74ea6d4975%26offsetms%3D5000%26itag%3Dw160%26sigh%3D7fd9-CHhC5XgzbL79SUxbH10Q6A&amp;autoplay=0&amp;ps=blogger"><embed src="//www.youtube.com/get_player" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="320" height="266" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashvars="flvurl=http://redirector.googlevideo.com/videoplayback?id%3Dbc9b0e74ea6d4975%26itag%3D5%26source%3Dblogger%26app%3Dblogger%26cmo%3Dsensitive_content%3Dyes%26ip%3D0.0.0.0%26ipbits%3D0%26expire%3D1440660950%26sparams%3Dip,ipbits,expire,id,itag,source%26signature%3D5F86DEDDB546AE9A454B3FDD36E13DAC7B545B4D.6B0754880425F42DD0EDB0C5CCD86B91AEB940C4%26key%3Dck2&iurl=http://video.google.com/ThumbnailServer2?app%3Dblogger%26contentid%3Dbc9b0e74ea6d4975%26offsetms%3D5000%26itag%3Dw160%26sigh%3D7fd9-CHhC5XgzbL79SUxbH10Q6A&autoplay=0&ps=blogger" allowFullScreen="true" /></object></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Sorry about the poor camera work here. I wanted you to hear what the snare sounded like with a groove. The camera is sitting on my floor tom, which I am not hitting, and wouldn't stay still. I thought it looked cool so I decided to keep the video. The playing is so-so.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">If you have the opportunity to find some cheap toy cymbals, grab them. You never know what kind of fun you could have with them.&nbsp;</div><div><br /><br /></div>Ben Arnoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12158596293607665852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198010779208746295.post-64026508475805509072015-06-08T15:23:00.001-07:002015-06-08T15:23:34.420-07:001970s A Zildjian Swish Cymbal<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is a 20" A Zildjian Swish cymbal with 6 rivets. The swish cymbal has a long history in the jazz world as being the cymbal that every big band player must have. I have wanted one of these for a long time and couldn't stop myself from buying this one when it came up.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Pisq-muYPUA/VXYPXl9MewI/AAAAAAAACPo/5Sx59Yiulm8/s1600/011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Pisq-muYPUA/VXYPXl9MewI/AAAAAAAACPo/5Sx59Yiulm8/s320/011.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I have had 2 swish cymbal besides this one and got rid of both. The first I returned to the factory because it had cracks where the rivets were drilled and frankly, it sounded terrible. The other was a beautiful 22" Bosphorus which I still can't believe I let go. (Long story) This Zildjian is certainly no replacement for that Bosphorus but it sounds great. It has a complex, articulate ride sound with just enough sizzle.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qW905ekvIn8/VXYPZZVzN9I/AAAAAAAACPw/puD7hvMbLfE/s1600/012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qW905ekvIn8/VXYPZZVzN9I/AAAAAAAACPw/puD7hvMbLfE/s320/012.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'm not entirely sure about the history, but it seems that swish cymbals came with 6 rivets until the 1980s when they were bumped up to a beefier 22" with 20 rivets. I like the 6 rivets over the 20 as that many rivets can be hard to control. This cymbal had 3 original rivets when I bought it but they were steel and had rusted. I replaced all the rivets with some brass Bosphorus split rivets which are lighter and have a more musical sound to my ear. I can't wait to take this cymbal on my next gig and see how it performs with a tenor saxophone. &nbsp;&nbsp;</div><br />Ben Arnoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12158596293607665852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198010779208746295.post-71656961531733595932015-05-17T19:59:00.000-07:002015-05-17T20:08:39.920-07:00Elephant Bells<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I was wandering through an antique store in Amish country when I stumbled upon these little beauties.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7UJRZEFrVvQ/VVlGEbzLAkI/AAAAAAAACOk/V1PzUq5E6J4/s1600/005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7UJRZEFrVvQ/VVlGEbzLAkI/AAAAAAAACOk/V1PzUq5E6J4/s400/005.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />These are commonly called elephant bells or meditation bells. The following is from creekbed.org which explains what these bells do better than I can.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CJmU68Be9oU/VVlGBtkIW1I/AAAAAAAACOc/6glDJR_K1lU/s1600/006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CJmU68Be9oU/VVlGBtkIW1I/AAAAAAAACOc/6glDJR_K1lU/s400/006.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>"The bells are cast in factories in a small town called Jalesar. This is a town in a northern state of India, called Uttar Pradesh; an area well known for brass work. The cloisonn-like coloring is done in another town situated close by, called Moradabad. The bells are hung about the elephant's necks so the Mahouts can locate their animals while they are out in the jungles.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>The style of these bells has not changed since the 17th century as can be seen on Mughal paintings from that period."</i></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KyhsuF4R7r0/VVlGE-zy8nI/AAAAAAAACOo/tQLF3rzvM3E/s1600/007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KyhsuF4R7r0/VVlGE-zy8nI/AAAAAAAACOo/tQLF3rzvM3E/s400/007.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>I really love the detail on each bell. I am not sure how old these bells are or how they ended up in Amish country. All I know is that they are useful in the percussion world, including serving as part of the instrumentation for several Lou Harrison compositions.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wwuXrktyLgk/VVlHFqi0z4I/AAAAAAAACPE/dBSEAOTG7po/s1600/010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wwuXrktyLgk/VVlHFqi0z4I/AAAAAAAACPE/dBSEAOTG7po/s400/010.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />Ben Arnoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12158596293607665852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198010779208746295.post-12279156561987654082015-05-06T21:56:00.002-07:002015-05-06T21:56:48.168-07:00New Sabian Cymbals Post 1-- 22" Artisan Medium Light Ride and an 18" Ed Thigpen Signature Flat Ride<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Well, a lot has happened recently. I never thought I would say it but...I am a Sabian artist, sort of. I was an artist with Bosphorus Cymbals and when the company split, I continued as an artist for Crescent Cymbals. Earlier this year, Crescent sold everything to Sabian, including their artist roster. It's a weird time that I have yet to completely understand but I am excited about the possibilities. Since I did not actually own any Sabian cymbals, I thought it might be nice to pick some up. I think of my first order from Sabian as having 2 parts. Part 2 will be discussed in another post.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J8xct7fba28/VUrVq38RBZI/AAAAAAAACNw/JupG-bvJBIQ/s1600/010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J8xct7fba28/VUrVq38RBZI/AAAAAAAACNw/JupG-bvJBIQ/s1600/010.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>The first cymbal in my Sabian order was a&nbsp;22" Artisan Medium Light Ride. The first thing I have to tell you is the presentation of this cymbal is unlike anything I have ever seen. The cymbal came in its own velvet lined bag which included a letter that discussed its inclusion as part of a very limited run of cymbals. Pretty cool! In addition, the cymbal looks amazing. The logo is small and the hammering markings are unique.<br /><br />Of course a cymbal can look amazing but it is the sound that is most important. I took this cymbal on a gig too see how it would perform and I have to tell you that I have mixed reviews. The gig was a typical jazz group with piano, bass, and drums augmented with 3 horns players and a singer. I thought this cymbal would be an interesting choice with so many horn players.<br /><br />This is a big cymbal and it responds a such. It has a lot of wash and can easily get out of control, which is a problem. I must say however that no matter how washy the cymbal got, the stick definition was always clear. I will admit that the cymbal did not match well with my Crescents. It didn't seem to have the same complexity or subtlety. The cymbal was just too aggressive for playing standards. There was a point in the gig where I started playing a groove like Elvin and the cymbal really came alive but moments like that were few and far between on this gig. During a set break, two of the horn players asked me not to use this cymbal while they were soloing. Ouch! With that being said, I still like this cymbal. I'm just not exactly sure where or how to use it. I am not giving up on the Artisan series and I think with a little extra love, this cymbal will become a favorite in the future.<br /><br />I was super excited about the second cymbal I received in this order. It is an&nbsp;18" Ed Thigpen Signature Flat Ride. If finding a ride cymbal is difficult, I believe that finding a good flat ride is damn near impossible. I have had several and have never been completely happy with any of them. I used to own a 22" Ed Thigpen Signature Flat Ride which was a nice cymbal but it was simply too big for any gig at which you would need a flat ride.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-54wTFkCElas/VUrVqD3q2pI/AAAAAAAACNo/KytT5CQHsfo/s1600/011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-54wTFkCElas/VUrVqD3q2pI/AAAAAAAACNo/KytT5CQHsfo/s1600/011.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Anyway, I requested this ride and Sabian made one for me at their custom shop. I'm really excited about this cymbal. I haven't had a chance to use it yet on a gig but it sounds amazing out of the box. I added 2 rivets to the cymbal yesterday and it really made this plate sing. It has a beautiful crystal sound with all of the refinement you would hope to have in a flat ride. If you're looking for a good flat ride, this might be the one.<br /><br />Ben Arnoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12158596293607665852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198010779208746295.post-26470030435583386822015-05-06T21:21:00.001-07:002015-05-06T21:56:55.582-07:00New Sabian Cymbals Post 2 -- 10" Sabian SR2 Splash and a 12" Canadian Crescent Splash Cymbal<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The Sabian splash cymbals discussed in this post were not part of my order placed with Sabian but cymbals I bought over the last few months.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There was a weird time in between the merger of Sabian and Crescent when it appeared that Crescent would exist as a separate company, but would be distributed by Sabian with Sabian making one specific series of Crescent cymbals. I honestly don't know how long this idea lasted, but it wasn't long. I ordered a 12" Classic Splash from Crescent, which should have been hand made in Turkey and instead, received a 12" unmarked Crescent Classic splash made in Canada. It was a confusing time and also telling of what was to come.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LX-9rv-dpJ4/VUrUiBPm3II/AAAAAAAACNU/NWvLDsoq1-U/s1600/015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LX-9rv-dpJ4/VUrUiBPm3II/AAAAAAAACNU/NWvLDsoq1-U/s1600/015.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>As I have mentioned in other posts, I like my splash cymbals to sound like little crash cymbals, not like bells. This cymbal fits that bill and is a nice all around splash. It is still weird for me to see "Crescent: Made in Canada," but I'm getting used to it.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This 10" Sabian SR2 Thin Splash is a great example of what happens when I go to a drum shop. Do I need yet another splash cymbal? No. Did that stop me from buying one? No. The SR2 series is made from cymbals that have been returned from trade shows or by artists. They could be any model from Sabian which are then re-lathed and re-stamped. I don't completely understand why you would have to go through all of this trouble to get a different cymbal. For example, in the Sabian video which explains this series, there is a guy who says something like, "There are fingerprints on this cymbal. It'll be a good candidate for the SR2 series." &nbsp;Why not just clean off the fingerprints and sell the cymbal? I'm not sure but I am a fan. &nbsp;First, the price of these cymbals are super discounted. A student can now purchase a descent sounding cast cymbal for the price of buying cymbals made of sheet metal. Second, the cymbals are all different so you have to actually search through them to find one that suits your taste. Finally, the cymbals are marked Heavy, Medium, and Thin. I truly believe all cymbals should be marked this way.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-n7Vdl4jB2HM/VUrUi5CXFsI/AAAAAAAACNc/K2FhplQIuxY/s1600/014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-n7Vdl4jB2HM/VUrUi5CXFsI/AAAAAAAACNc/K2FhplQIuxY/s1600/014.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><br />This particular cymbal caught my ear because it sounded different than my other cymbals. It has a clangy sound, think Wuhan splash sound, but is still musical. I think this will be a nice cymbal to use with a multiple percussion piece I have been playing. Seriously, the price was so cheap I had to buy it. If you get a chance to check out some of the SR2 cymbals, I suggest you buy one. They are a lot of fun.Ben Arnoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12158596293607665852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198010779208746295.post-58315264351719180902015-05-06T20:38:00.003-07:002015-05-06T21:57:02.507-07:00New Sabian Cymbals Post 3 -- 16" HH Viennese and 18" Artisan Medium Light Hand Cymbals<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>The second part to my Sabian order was 2 pairs of hand cymbals. I play both popular and orchestral music so it is nice to have a few sets of hand cymbals.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gaQv7SkHy9g/VUgwi5sfS4I/AAAAAAAACMk/rw-6SQiv9gM/s1600/012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gaQv7SkHy9g/VUgwi5sfS4I/AAAAAAAACMk/rw-6SQiv9gM/s320/012.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>The first set in this part of the order was a pair of&nbsp;16" HH Viennese crash cymbals. They looked beautiful out of the box and came with nylon cymbal straps. I will most likely replace these with leather straps soon. They have a focused sound which is neither too dark or too bright. They have a lot of shimmery crash sound without a lot of bell like tones. All around, this is a nice set of cymbals. While a pair of 16" hand cymbals may seem too small for many people, I find that they are actually quite versatile. &nbsp;These cymbals are great for pit work, musicals, small operas, use with brass bands, and other types of chamber percussion work. <br /><br />The second set of cymbals to arrive with this part of the order was a set of&nbsp;18" Artisan Medium Light crash cymbals. Like the Artisan mentioned above, the cymbals came with a card designating them as part of a limited run of cymbals. This pair of cymbals came with a pair of leather straps. Out of the bag, these cymbals look gorgeous. The raw bell against the dark bronze color of the cymbals is really striking. The cymbals are really interesting. They sound unlike any pair of crash cymbals I have played before. They have a dark, complex sound which is pleasant but unique. The closest comparison I can make is that this pair of cymbals sounds like cymbals you might hear in symphonic recordings from the 1930s and 1940s. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aJ9MPUGX7xs/VUgwsgUUQWI/AAAAAAAACMs/ZkFvbynyCOg/s1600/013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aJ9MPUGX7xs/VUgwsgUUQWI/AAAAAAAACMs/ZkFvbynyCOg/s320/013.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I completely recommend picking up a pair of these plates. They are super expensive but anyone buying a set of crash cymbals usually isn't worried about the price. It's all about sound and this set of cymbals is worth every penny. &nbsp;I can't wait to use them on a gig!</div><br /><br />Ben Arnoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12158596293607665852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198010779208746295.post-65351875836873610382015-05-03T21:02:00.002-07:002015-05-03T21:02:36.803-07:0018" Zildjian K Thin Dark Crash<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I've received a ton of cymbals in the last few months. It's like Christmas! If I have some time to kill when travelling, I will always haunt a pawn shop. It turns out to be a waste most of the time but I have found some deals including this 18" Zildjian K Thin Dark Crash that I found at a local pawn shop. It looked like it had never been used so I assumed it was purchased new by the store. When I asked, the salesman said some kid brought it in because it didn't sound good. It sounds like your typical K to me. I wouldn't have purchased it but the price was extremely low. Think 2 people eating at Taco Bell low. Anyway, I couldn't let it die in the pawn shop. I bought it and I figure I'll use it on my teaching kit so my students will stop beating on my good equipment. &nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Start searching those pawn shops. You never know what you might find.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-79DOuSiHgEM/VUbswscjrXI/AAAAAAAACMA/8Ek7Xp1nnyc/s1600/006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-79DOuSiHgEM/VUbswscjrXI/AAAAAAAACMA/8Ek7Xp1nnyc/s1600/006.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div><br />Ben Arnoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12158596293607665852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198010779208746295.post-45505991181594309342015-04-14T10:19:00.002-07:002015-04-14T10:19:45.182-07:00"Grab-n-Go" Bass Drum Project<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I play a lot of percussion music that needs a bass drum. Most of this music requires a bass drum that is smaller than a concert bass drum and tuned differently than a drum set bass drum. That is why it is nice to have what I like to call, a "Grab-n-Go" bass drum. "Grab-n-Go" is the stupid name I use to describe a bass drum that is not attached to anything. For example, it is not part of a drum set and is not strapped to a concert bass drum stand. It is simply a drum that I can Grab and Go. I cannot tell you how many different situations call for a drum like this.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A "Grab-n-Go" is such an easy drum to find and most of the time it is one that you can add to your collection for free. Most high schools have an old bass drum laying around that they would be willing to part with. Check around and I am sure you can find enough parts to get your own project started.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OwNyvxdqtsQ/VS0r7PXxCYI/AAAAAAAACLQ/dCV8oC5v3SU/s1600/IMG_1090.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OwNyvxdqtsQ/VS0r7PXxCYI/AAAAAAAACLQ/dCV8oC5v3SU/s1600/IMG_1090.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">I started my project with a 20" Pearl Championship Series Marching bass drum. I picked this particular instrument because it had most of its parts, it looked like it had not been abused, and I thought I could quickly turn this drum around. I would typically try to find an older drum because they are usually a little lighter, but this drum was free so I couldn't turn it down. The main goal with this project was to finish without spending a lot of money.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zPRpsadovXw/VS0r7clQlvI/AAAAAAAACLM/dGvY03XQW48/s1600/IMG_1091.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zPRpsadovXw/VS0r7clQlvI/AAAAAAAACLM/dGvY03XQW48/s1600/IMG_1091.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>I decided to remove the white plastic wrap from the drum which had yellowed with age. Most of the later model Pearl marching drums have two strips of glue which hold the wrap on the drum. Once you pry the seam apart, the wrap will usually fall right off the drum. There is no way to know what's under the wrap but like this instrument, you will typically find a B grade maple shell. For this project, it doesn't matter. Keep in mind that with most of the marching drums, the wrap is considered part of the thickness of the shell. This may come into play later when you put the heads back on the drum and as it was with this drum, there is a little play between the head and shell where the drum is slightly undersized.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-e5R17u93YHQ/VS0r7HNrTqI/AAAAAAAACLI/sPki3LNhPHw/s1600/IMG_1140.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-e5R17u93YHQ/VS0r7HNrTqI/AAAAAAAACLI/sPki3LNhPHw/s1600/IMG_1140.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a><br />The hardware was easy to remove from this drum however, the air hole grommets on this drum took a little work. Once they came off the drum, they were no longer functional. I had to buy six new air hole grommets to replace the ones I took out. I could have simply left the grommets off the drum but there were so many holes in this shell, I thought it would look better to replace them. While I was placing an order for parts, I ordered replacement tension rods. I have never seen a marching bass drum that didn't have bent tensions rods and this drum was no exception. A new set of tension rods was cheap enough that the benefit out weighed the cost.<br /><br />I had some stain and sandpaper hanging around my house from previous projects so I spent a few afternoons applying coats of stain to this drum. Because of the condition of the shell underneath the wrap, it may take several coats of stain to make the finish even. This drum took five and still had an uneven quality to it because of the weird grain pattern of the shell.<br /><br />Once the shell dried, I added several coats of polyurethane, painted the hoops and put all the hardware back on the drum. I wanted to replace all of the hardware with new tube lugs but the cost of all of those replacement parts would actually be more than buying a new Pearl bass drum. I decided to go with what I had and be happy about it. The end result was a fun "Grab-n-Go" bass drum that cost me about $20 to get working again. It looks nice and sounds great.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jx3F_M1rIT4/VS0r7oonKuI/AAAAAAAACLU/pJF5yenHNQQ/s1600/IMG_1157.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jx3F_M1rIT4/VS0r7oonKuI/AAAAAAAACLU/pJF5yenHNQQ/s1600/IMG_1157.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Speaking of sound, I should tell you that I approach the tuning of this drum differently than my other drums. This drum will get used in a lot of different musical situations so I want to have several tuning options available without having to spend a lot of time adjusting the tuning. (Grab-n-Go, remember?) This particular drum has two different heads. One side has been fitted with a coated ambassador and the other side has a pinstripe. Neither head would be my first choice for a bass drum but this instrument is a little different. The playing situations which will require this drum will most likely also require that the drum be struck with either sticks or hard felt mallets. With that in mind, the head choice allows for a round warm sound if I use the ambassador side and a fatter sound if I use the pinstripe side. Each side has a strip of felt under the head so that the drum will not need much dampening. &nbsp;</div>Ben Arnoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12158596293607665852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198010779208746295.post-76657946758987718342015-03-15T21:40:00.001-07:002015-03-15T21:40:15.242-07:00Cymbal Shopping, Art Blakey's Ride Cymbal and My Cymbal Experiment (Mistake?)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I spent some time in the drum shop this weekend. I was sent to the drum shop with a budget to pick up some cymbals for my school. I had to pick cymbals that were quality but still fit in my budget. I also didn't have time to spend hours selecting each individual cymbal. I found a boxed set of K Zildjians for a reasonable price. The set included a&nbsp;<span style="line-height: 19.5px;">14" K HiHats,&nbsp;</span><span style="line-height: 19.5px;">16" K Dark Medium Thin Crash,&nbsp;</span><span style="line-height: 19.5px;">20" K Ride and a&nbsp;</span><span style="line-height: 19.5px;">18" K Dark Medium Thin Crash.&nbsp;</span>It has been 15 years since I last went shopping for a Zildjian cymbal but I believe I know their lines pretty well. I opened the box of cymbals when I got home expecting quality.&nbsp;I was wrong. Admittedly, I have been playing handmade cy<span style="font-family: inherit;">mbals for the last 15 years and I wasn't prepared for the sounds of these cymbals. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19.5px;">Growing up, K Zildjians were the cymbals I always wanted because they were "jazz" cymbals. There is no way these cymbals were created for jazz. They are so heavy, The hi hats are heavier than the New Beats I owned when I was a kid and the ride has&nbsp;</span></span><span style="line-height: 19.5px;">absolutely</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19.5px;">&nbsp;no character. These are&nbsp;</span></span><span style="line-height: 19.5px;">terribly</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19.5px;">&nbsp;generic cymbals.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19.5px;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19.5px;">And that's my problem. I started playing handmade cymbals because they sounded like instruments. Sure, they have tons of issues like not being&nbsp;</span></span><span style="line-height: 19.5px;">completely</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19.5px;">&nbsp;round or having drastic variations between cymbal models but they sound like instruments. Cymbals that are manufactured by computer have no character and they all have a hum. Listen closely and you can hear it. They have also become extremely heavy and metallic sounding over the last 20 years. I know that so many of you are getting ready to attack right now. I hear you. "I've been playing Zildjians since 1950 and they are the greatest ever!" "My Sabians make me cry tears of joy each time I strike them!" "Tony, Elvin, Jack and everybody else played Zildjians!" I know and I understand. I'm in the middle of a personal situation (more later) which will likely lead me back to playing computer made cymbals. Still, hear me out. All computer made cymbals have a hum and it is annoying. I'm not sure what the solution is or why I'm going on about it except that it makes me miss old Ks and leads me to the next part of this post.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ttRZ4pNkx1E/VQZEPYQDYfI/AAAAAAAACKk/v54HQPxnCbs/s1600/ArtBlakey.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ttRZ4pNkx1E/VQZEPYQDYfI/AAAAAAAACKk/v54HQPxnCbs/s1600/ArtBlakey.png" /></a></div>Art Blakey is the man. His playing was inspiring and his "college," The Jazz Messengers, trained tons of amazing musicians. Look at the picture on the left. The man is a badass. In fact, it is this picture which gets a lot of us drummers in trouble. I started smoking because I saw how cool Blakey looked in this picture. I quit two days later when I kept dropping ash all over myself while playing. I'm still not sure how he did it. More importantly, the cymbal we see in this picture is one that has captured the imagination of drummers for a long time. When I start talking about rides with drummers eventually Blakey's will come up. What's weird is that no one ever talks about the sound of the cymbal. Talk is always about the rivets. I have searched for a cymbal with tons of rivets for years and outside of the Swish Knocker, could never find one. After this afternoon, I think I know why.<br /><br />The only thing I wanted for my drumset when I started playing music was genuine Zildjian cymbal. In 1994, I finally saved enough to buy my own. I was told that the most important cymbal is the ride and went into my local music store to buy a 20" A Zildjian Medium Ride. I was the happiest kid in America. I used that cymbal for a long time and it actually sounded okay. After all the gigs in bars, animal lodges and school dances, the cymbal started to change and so did my ears. In 2000 I upgraded to a set of K Customs and sold all of my cymbals except for the ride. It was the first and so it was special. I took it to the local music store and had them punch 3 rivets into it, The rivets did nothing to make the cymbal sound better. It developed a weird hum that I couldn't unhear. The K's also developed the same kind of hum and in 2005 I gave up using Zildjians and started using Bosphorus/Crescent cymbals. A few weeks ago, a friend of mine told me to stop by because she had a cymbal for me. It was my Old A which I totally forgot I lent her. So, to make this story longer...<br /><br />I took the Old A to the drum shop with the hopes that they would help me with a little experiment. I decided to turn this Old A into an Art Blakey cymbal. I read somewhere that he used an old K that had the same sound and character as one might find in a modern Zildjian Medium A. So I figured, why not? I am a regular at this drum shop. The employees know me and usually go out of their way to help me out. When I asked them to drill the rivets for a Blakey cymbal, they all said no. Finally one guy said he would do it but he would have to charge their usual price of $5 per rivet. He estimated that I would need around $200 worth of labor. I couldn't believe they wouldn't knock this out for free. I could buy a new A medium ride for less than $200. I took the ride home and decided I would do the project myself. It took everything I had once I returned home not to go back to the drum shop and offer them $400 to do the job.<br /><br />Do you know how hard it is to drill equal distant holes in a circle while having to use 3 existing holes as a guide? I didn't have the math skills for this job. After hours of planning, I finally mapped out my hole pattern and started drilling. I promise you that drilling 3 or 6 holes is no big deal but trying to drill 56 holes is a nightmare. I did my best and the cymbal actually looks pretty good. Well...as good as a 20 year old cymbal that's been in every bar East of the Mississippi can look.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cDkfBDEI-XA/VQZEZCxQ9QI/AAAAAAAACKs/LGJwT2RgMZs/s1600/009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cDkfBDEI-XA/VQZEZCxQ9QI/AAAAAAAACKs/LGJwT2RgMZs/s1600/009.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If you've read this far, I am sure you care very little about how the cymbal looks. The most important question is of course, how does it sound? &nbsp;Well, not great...but not terrible. There are two golden rules to follow when adding rivets to a cymbal: 1. Adding rivets to a bad sounding cymbal will not make it a good sounding cymbal; 2. the more rivets you add, the less effective they become. I broke both rules. I took a mediocre cymbal and hoped that adding a ton of rivets would make it sound amazing. I'm an idiot. It sounded bad and now still sound kind of bad. The cymbal is not without character though. It is now extremely dry, although the hum is still there. I'm going to try to take some of the hum out with duct tape tomorrow. The rivets basically add weight to the cymbal. They really don't make much of a noise. It does look cool and a shuffle sound pretty interesting. I'm going to keep working with this cymbal but I doubt it'll ever see a gig again.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So, if you're interested in making your own Blakey cymbal, my suggestion is, don't. It's a waste of time, money, and brain power. It also creates the most dangerous cymbal in your cymbal bag as there's nowhere to grab the cymbal without getting a rivet in the finger. It does look cool...maybe I'll try that smoking thing again.&nbsp;</div><br />Ben Arnoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12158596293607665852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198010779208746295.post-58801914284048525622015-03-02T05:17:00.000-08:002015-03-02T05:17:00.035-08:00A Question About Cymbal Rivets<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I want to throw this question out to those that are older and wiser than I am. I have a ton of sizzle cymbals but I don't own any that are more than 20 years old. I was putting one of my cymbals away after a gig and noticed that the rivet seemed to be creating a key hole in my cymbal. This particular cymbal is thin and has 2 rivets. Both rivets seem to be making the same indentation. I tried to take a picture to show what I am talking about but it's hard to see. The holes were drilled at the factory. &nbsp;I switched the rivets when the plate was brand new and remember the holes looking correct. Now they are beginning to have an oval shape.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tdj4VsEOL9o/VPONLa7HN8I/AAAAAAAACJ0/mrl268Et9_E/s1600/017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tdj4VsEOL9o/VPONLa7HN8I/AAAAAAAACJ0/mrl268Et9_E/s1600/017.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Anyway, I just wondered if anyone out there has seen their rivets creating a keyhole effect on their cymbals? &nbsp;All of this could be my imagination but I don't think so. Ben Arnoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12158596293607665852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198010779208746295.post-66264769937580733922015-03-01T11:02:00.000-08:002015-03-01T18:25:50.839-08:00If I Can Hit It, It's an Instrument...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I was digging through a box of instruments this weekend and found more things that I use to create music that are not necessarily considered instruments. I've written several posts on this blog about unusual instruments and this post is a continuation of that series. &nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This first picture is of two brass bells. The bells usually have a hanger on the inside so that they can be rung by hand with a cord. I took that part out of the bell so I could mount them on a stand and hit them with a stick. They have a great sound for when you need to replicate a ship's bell or any other type of small bell sound. &nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hXh4uq3S0ds/VPNa8cBnGmI/AAAAAAAACJM/IP_UqsZK3tU/s1600/001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hXh4uq3S0ds/VPNa8cBnGmI/AAAAAAAACJM/IP_UqsZK3tU/s1600/001.JPG" height="226" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is an aluminum fan from the inside of a refrigerator compressor. It makes a great clanging sound when struck and also looks cool when included as part of my set-up. It's easy to find great sounding timbres like this if you spend a little time going through junk piles. Even if I am not sure what I am going to do with an item, I'll save anything that sounds good with the hope that I'll find a use for it later. &nbsp;</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-b4otaiJ6WHo/VPNa8eJA9sI/AAAAAAAACJU/uqQzKkvSt0U/s1600/002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-b4otaiJ6WHo/VPNa8eJA9sI/AAAAAAAACJU/uqQzKkvSt0U/s1600/002.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This instrument might be unusual for those of you who are younger, but these two brass cups are from the inside of an old phone. As there are millions of these type of phones not in use, it should be easy to find your own set of these.&nbsp;</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--sPYT-pvZR8/VPNa8rL407I/AAAAAAAACJQ/KGEkVyuG_e0/s1600/003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--sPYT-pvZR8/VPNa8rL407I/AAAAAAAACJQ/KGEkVyuG_e0/s1600/003.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Dig this! Each part has been labeled either "A" or "B" so that it's easy to keep the cups separated if you have various sets. I use these to recreate the sound of a phone. It's not a stretch I know. I gently affix each bell to a board and then use a triangle beater to create the ringing sound. I also like to take this sound into offices and see how many times I can get someone to answer their phone. It's pretty fun.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5YuYc9SGOzo/VPNa99i9LtI/AAAAAAAACJk/OWreNKmEwz0/s1600/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5YuYc9SGOzo/VPNa99i9LtI/AAAAAAAACJk/OWreNKmEwz0/s1600/004.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><br />Ben Arnoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12158596293607665852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198010779208746295.post-87128450359179718042015-02-26T07:29:00.002-08:002015-02-28T18:23:06.020-08:00You Know...Because Who Doesn't Need a Giant Bell?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bJ89OQ1TWEc/VO85M8pyXkI/AAAAAAAACI4/KeEBFgF8IVE/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bJ89OQ1TWEc/VO85M8pyXkI/AAAAAAAACI4/KeEBFgF8IVE/s1600/photo.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>My dad saw this giant bell and thought I need it for my collection. He was right. This giant bell is awesome and believe it or not, I've used it several times over the last couple of years. The bell is solid cast iron so it weighs a ton. My dad built the cool wooden stand that it sits on and he created it in such a way that the bell is detachable from the stand for easier cartage. I found this metal frame with wheels and decided it would be the perfect rolling platform for the bell. I have no idea as to what the cart was originally designed for but, my bell stand fits perfectly on it. The are so many crazy instruments that you can add to your collection. Keep an eye out and I am sure you'll find all kinds of fun stuff!Ben Arnoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12158596293607665852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198010779208746295.post-4282774219604094312015-02-02T06:34:00.002-08:002015-02-02T06:34:22.456-08:00Meinl Knee Pad Jingle Tap<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I stumbled upon the Meinl Knee Pad Jingle Tap a few weeks ago and it is the most fun I have had in years. The Knee Pad Jingle Tap, (stupid name) is basically a wooden block with jingles attached to it that straps to your knee. I had never actually heard this instrument and the packaging on the instrument made it impossible to tell exactly what it sounded like. The $30 price tag was low enough to take a chance on this instrument.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-M-Z0JHEcEJg/VM-FnL7yAQI/AAAAAAAACIc/9jUrvPtF6ak/s1600/002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-M-Z0JHEcEJg/VM-FnL7yAQI/AAAAAAAACIc/9jUrvPtF6ak/s1600/002.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Like all Meinl equipment, this instrument is really well made. I have huge legs and the strap fit comfortably around my leg. When struck with the hand, the instrument has a loud "stomp box with jingles" sound. Hitting the instrument with just the fingers creates a secondary sound not unlike a Kevlar headed snare drum although not in an offensive way. I think the possibilities for this instrument are endless. I was so intrigued by the instrument, I opened it in the car and played along with the radio for the entire 2 hour ride back to my house.* If you play a lot of percussion gigs, especially hand drums or cajon, pick up one of these instruments.&nbsp;</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WuMOvqap5RM/VM-FnHuT10I/AAAAAAAACIg/V_9_0xDo4ak/s1600/003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WuMOvqap5RM/VM-FnHuT10I/AAAAAAAACIg/V_9_0xDo4ak/s1600/003.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><br />I also picked up a set of Meinl Finger Jingles while at the store. You already know these things are fun to use. I used them while playing congas, cajon and drumset. They proved to be effective in each instance. They were so inexpensive, I recommend grabbing a set.<br /><br /><br />*I do not recommend playing this instrument in the car if you travel with other people. Passengers will most likely leave you in a ditch. &nbsp;Also, it's probably unsafe as a motorist to play while driving...Ben Arnoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12158596293607665852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198010779208746295.post-55958101235256617962015-01-26T05:34:00.000-08:002015-01-26T05:34:00.174-08:00In Search of a New Key<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8M-_JGZ7jVE/VMVq_E5Xf3I/AAAAAAAACIM/ct42nexDi4A/s1600/key.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8M-_JGZ7jVE/VMVq_E5Xf3I/AAAAAAAACIM/ct42nexDi4A/s1600/key.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>I must admit that this post is kind of silly. A few days ago, I was helping a student tune a drum so I reached for my trusty key. I placed the key on a tension rod and couldn't get it to turn. A quick look confirmed that instead of being square, the inside of this drum key had was round. I hear all of you shouting, "So what! Get another key you big cry baby!" The thing is, I have had this key on my person everyday since 1994. This key hasn't been left under a bass drum in bar as I hurried out. It hasn't been taken from me by the TSA. It hasn't been stolen by a student. These are amazing accomplishments for this little key. <br /><br />So now I have 2 problems. The first is that I need a new key. I have a new key on my key ring right now but it &nbsp;doesn't feel right in my pocket and frankly, I'm not sure it'll ever be able to replace this old Pearl key. I'm sure I'll figure something out. The second problem is trickier. If you've been reading this blog, you know that I am a fan of <a href="http://bensdrumcollection.blogspot.com/2012/11/reuse-recycle-re-purpose-saving-world.html">recycling</a>. I like to recycle as much of my used drumming equipment as I can. I recycle because it helps the environment but as is the case with my drumsticks, I feel there is something spiritual about disposing of something that helped me create art. So, I'm not sure what to do with this key. I would like to recycle it but I believe the pot metal it is made of makes it hard to recycle where I live. If you have any suggestions, drop me a line and until I figure out something, I'm going to keep looking for a replacement. Ben Arnoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12158596293607665852noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198010779208746295.post-77254805574748121782015-01-25T08:53:00.006-08:002015-06-20T16:46:43.891-07:00Meinl Make-Your-Own Cajon Experiment<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I have been cajon crazy lately. I recently bought a <a href="http://bensdrumcollection.blogspot.com/2014/09/schlagwerk-2-in-one-large-snare-cajon.html">great cajon</a>&nbsp;and have been using it on every gig I can. I thought it might be fun to build my own&nbsp;cajon. After combing the Internet for different examples, I found that there are hundreds of people making custom cajons.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I decided the best course would be to buy a&nbsp;Meinl Make-Your-Own Cajon kit and see how these things work then later, build my own from scratch. Plus, the $50 price tag made this an affordable experiment. If I messed up, no big deal. I will do my best to describe each step of the building process so you'll get a sense of my experience. I know I should have taken more pictures of each step but to be honest, I forgot. &nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The cajon kit arrived with everything you would need to build except for glue, sand paper, and a small number of tools. The instructions start with the basic construction of the box. Basically, you glue all of the supports to the inside of the shell and then glue the box together. This was really simple with the help of some C clamps and wood glue. The sides come notched so they fit together easily. Make sure you fit the sides together correctly before gluing. There are 2 ways that the sides will fit together and if you pick the wrong one, you're pretty much DOA. The instructions tell you to glue all of the pieces together and then use strap clamps to hold the box in place. Like so:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8YeoKEl-mg8/VMUNG6rAN0I/AAAAAAAACH0/Nq-ukIi1jAw/s1600/001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8YeoKEl-mg8/VMUNG6rAN0I/AAAAAAAACH0/Nq-ukIi1jAw/s1600/001.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If I were to make another, I would not use the clamps. You really don't need them and they are hard to work with if you're building by yourself. Just pile some heavy stuff on top of the box and make sure it's square. &nbsp;It should be fine. Let the glue dry for a day or 2 before going to the next step.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XlfqZsLThLc/VMUNGvojDOI/AAAAAAAACHw/9u3DiyjHBtw/s1600/002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XlfqZsLThLc/VMUNGvojDOI/AAAAAAAACHw/9u3DiyjHBtw/s1600/002.JPG" width="320" /></a><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is another view of the strap clamps. The more observant reader will notice tools and the front piece sitting on my congas. You should not use your congas as a table. I should know better and I am ashamed of this picture. &nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Once the sides dry, you attach the snares and the other 2 sides. This isn't a big deal except that it does require some time. The front piece has 10 or so screws that have to be perfectly diagrammed and drilled into the front or your cajon will look bad if a screw is out of place. This takes some time, especially if you're not used to using the metric system (my hand raises) because all of the figures are metric. Aside from a metric ruler, you will also need a screw tap for this step so the screws will sink into the front piece and not stick out. &nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Once you have finished putting all of the pieces together it is time to sand your box. Hilariously, the front and back piece that came with my cajon were slightly larger than the box shell. No problem except it meant a lot of extra sanding. I went mental and thought I could sand the box by hand, giving me something to do during commercials. Five minutes of hand sanding made me run to get my electric sander. Sanding this box takes forever if you want to get it right. You have to sand all of the sides smooth but also sand all of the corners round. All of that plus the incorrectly cut back and front pieces made for an all day sanding event. I should have a picture of this but...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I had so much time to think while sanding that I realized I don't need another cajon. I decided to finish this cajon as a gift for a friend. Christmas was about a week away so I had to make some quick decisions. I decided to finish the cajon with "child like" pictures of my friend and his family. I was going to create a cool design in black for the front but I decided this&nbsp;cajon should be fun and not so stuffy. &nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pru93C8jRYk/VMUM_DeQWtI/AAAAAAAACHY/xv16-3Gv0hA/s1600/box%2B1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pru93C8jRYk/VMUM_DeQWtI/AAAAAAAACHY/xv16-3Gv0hA/s1600/box%2B1.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Actually finishing this cajon took some thought. &nbsp;I originally wanted to paint the box but quickly realized that the paint would run on the unfinished wood. I eventually used&nbsp;Prismacolor Watercolor pencils. They are expensive but were perfect for this project. &nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0zgnu4JaIb0/VMUNAezjFPI/AAAAAAAACHg/b29Xg0_SDkE/s1600/box%2B2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0zgnu4JaIb0/VMUNAezjFPI/AAAAAAAACHg/b29Xg0_SDkE/s1600/box%2B2.JPG" width="240" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RDz90vjyer4/VMUNBpr8ekI/AAAAAAAACHo/8mPs7WHqKw8/s1600/box%2B3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RDz90vjyer4/VMUNBpr8ekI/AAAAAAAACHo/8mPs7WHqKw8/s1600/box%2B3.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The pencils work like pencils but when dipped in water, they function like a paint brush. The mixture of the 2 options made the drawings look like a kid drew them with crayons. I finished the drawings with a paint marker to add outlines. Once the drawings dried, I clear coated the entire instrument. It took many coats of polyurethane to get a solid result. Each coat required light sanding which was difficult because of the drawings, but I made it work. The final step was to add the feet on the bottom, which once again called on knowledge of the metric system.<br /><br />Overall, I had a blast making this instrument and it sounds great. I must admit that it's probably just as easy and cost effective to buy a cheaper cajon and paint something on the side. This project was about the journey. If you decide to make your own cajon, drop me a line and let me know how it went.Ben Arnoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12158596293607665852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198010779208746295.post-37188296382546660742015-01-12T10:01:00.001-08:002015-01-12T10:01:10.171-08:00TreeWorks 6" Studio Grade Triangle<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CBFQOnd5H6Y/VLPddCP5XuI/AAAAAAAACHE/3OnrRij0C6c/s1600/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CBFQOnd5H6Y/VLPddCP5XuI/AAAAAAAACHE/3OnrRij0C6c/s1600/004.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>I had some time to kill a few days ago and found myself in a Guitar Center. If you follow this blog, you know I am not a huge fan of this company but every once in a while, they have some deals on instruments that are so weird that your average drummer wouldn't touch them. I was looking for that kind of deal and stumbled upon this TreeWorks 6" Studio triangle. <br /><br />I believe that TreeWorks makes some of the finest mark trees in the business and I love that they are made in Nashville, TN. I have been looking for a triangle to keep in my percussion bag that would work in pop music situations and found this TreeWorks Studio triangle. &nbsp;I didn't know TreeWorks made triangles so I was excited to check it out. I could not test the triangle in the store because it was wrapped in plastic and even if I could, I wouldn't be able to hear it over the 5 church drummers who were giving a recital on the electronic drum sets. &nbsp;I figured for $25, I could take a chance and if it matched the quality of other TreeWorks instruments, this triangle would be a great investment.<br /><br />I must say that this triangle did not live up to my expectations. The overall sound quality is ok. &nbsp;It's not super bright and does not have the "ping," that you would hope a nice symphonic triangle would have. I don't think this triangle would be able to handle the demands of an orchestra but it should sound ok for the typical pop gig. On the upside, I found the woodblock triangle holder to be easier to hold than a typical triangle clip but of course, the block does not give you the option of clipping the triangle to a stand after you finish playing. My biggest complaint about the triangle is the unusual finish. The metal has been finished so that the surface texture is rough. This would be ok except the surface finish is so rough that the triangle kept catching on my shirt every time it got too close to my body. It was also very uncomfortable when I played it while holding the triangle in one hand without the clip.<br /><br />Overall &nbsp;this triangle is an alright instrument for the money, but I hope TreeWorks continues to develop this instrument in the future to make a better product. Ben Arnoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12158596293607665852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198010779208746295.post-28272867808430540532015-01-01T20:18:00.000-08:002015-01-01T20:18:05.245-08:002015: Bringing in the New Year with a Bang<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I always like to start the new year with a bang and this year is no exception. At my house, the stroke of midnight doesn't call for singing and kissing but for strikes on the gong. &nbsp;I assure that my neighbors love it. Well...at least it gives them something to talk about. &nbsp;I can only imagine their weird phone call to the cops. <br /><br />Police: &nbsp;How can we help you?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Neighbors: &nbsp;Yes. &nbsp;Well, my neighbor is banging a gong and it's really too late in the evening for that.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Police: &nbsp;A what?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Neighbors: &nbsp;A gong. &nbsp;You know, like "open sesame," and then BOOM! &nbsp;Huge clanging sound.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Police: Right. &nbsp;Like the big gong thing in all those Kung Fu movies?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Neighbors: &nbsp;Ah, sure. &nbsp;Please come quick. &nbsp;It's so loud and our baby is trying to sleep.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Police: We'll send out an officer. &nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IWw1fFu_zpk/VKYAzIbrRKI/AAAAAAAACGs/lprJ_29H4lU/s1600/005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IWw1fFu_zpk/VKYAzIbrRKI/AAAAAAAACGs/lprJ_29H4lU/s1600/005.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>This year, I ended up with a new gong for my celebration. &nbsp;This is a Sabian 26" Symphonic gong. &nbsp;Technically it's a tam-tam. &nbsp;A gong is tuned and this is not. &nbsp;But, it says gong on the front so I'm calling it that. &nbsp;This is a medium sized gong which has a quick, bright, explosive sound. &nbsp;Ironically, I bought it from the police. &nbsp;I found this plate online at a police auction and it was priced so low, I had to buy it. &nbsp;I got this instrument for $80. I need to build a stand for it and find some better method to hang it instead of a shoe string. &nbsp;</div><br /><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The beast pictured below is a little bit of a mystery. &nbsp;I picked this gong up a few years ago and I'm not actually sure who made it. &nbsp;I assume it is a Wuhan but it doesn't have their typical finish. &nbsp;It has the finish of a Paiste gong but it may also be a Zildjian. &nbsp;I don't know. &nbsp;Either way, this is a 38" gong that roars like a beast. &nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EiBsqYDh4Vs/VKYBCo_4G9I/AAAAAAAACG0/kbZ0PiRf-zU/s1600/003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EiBsqYDh4Vs/VKYBCo_4G9I/AAAAAAAACG0/kbZ0PiRf-zU/s1600/003.JPG" height="315" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I have so many gongs of different sizes that I think I am going to build a bunch of stands and display them in a cool way in the house. &nbsp;An art installment that makes noise. &nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Until next time, get it on, bang a gong...</div><br /><br /><br />Ben Arnoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12158596293607665852noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198010779208746295.post-50699106784269756572014-12-30T06:18:00.000-08:002015-01-01T18:19:19.093-08:00Happy Holidays<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I love being a percussionist at Christmas. There are more gigs to play during the holiday season and I always end up with the coolest percussion instruments. &nbsp;This year was no exception. &nbsp;Here is a sampling of the instruments I grabbed this holiday season.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This cowbell on a handle was in my stocking this year. &nbsp;My parents thought I needed one and I agree. &nbsp;I think it is supposed to be used for football games but I am going to use it in the pit to replicate an actual cow moving through the pasture. &nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-s4cXPXJF0NQ/VKX4N3At6oI/AAAAAAAACF0/OfV3VBy4JJU/s1600/001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-s4cXPXJF0NQ/VKX4N3At6oI/AAAAAAAACF0/OfV3VBy4JJU/s1600/001.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My brother hooked me up with a LP Finger Shot. &nbsp;This little shaker attaches to your finger so you can have a shaker effect while playing hand drums. &nbsp;I'm going to use this a ton.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w1qrBY6OxdI/VKX4MkorjEI/AAAAAAAACFs/RwvBT1YLPkA/s1600/002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w1qrBY6OxdI/VKX4MkorjEI/AAAAAAAACFs/RwvBT1YLPkA/s1600/002.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I accompanied a choir during the holiday season and needed an organic shaker sound. I picked up this set of pod rattles from Steve Weiss and found they worked perfectly. &nbsp;The price was so cheap that you really should pick up a set of these for your collection. I expect that they will have tons of uses.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8DWakk1lvoQ/VKX4VUkg2YI/AAAAAAAACF8/CyoCorG4sQE/s1600/014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8DWakk1lvoQ/VKX4VUkg2YI/AAAAAAAACF8/CyoCorG4sQE/s1600/014.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I don't often trade for equipment however this Holiday season, I found myself in a unique situation. &nbsp;I won't go into details but a friend needed a cymbal and offered up this new Grover Beryllium copper Tambourine in trade. I can always use a high quality tambourine so I made a trade. The tambourine sounds great.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-of6iInfHmno/VKX4bfdRwoI/AAAAAAAACGE/Nk8-jgtCvkw/s1600/008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-of6iInfHmno/VKX4bfdRwoI/AAAAAAAACGE/Nk8-jgtCvkw/s1600/008.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Also included in the trade was the following pair of LP rawhide Maracas. &nbsp;They sound amazing! &nbsp;If you need a set of maracas, you have to pick up a set of these maracas. &nbsp;They are very dry and have a great feel.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NEMnKpWG-AA/VKX4eWcLt8I/AAAAAAAACGM/-9uLLOXdwUk/s1600/009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NEMnKpWG-AA/VKX4eWcLt8I/AAAAAAAACGM/-9uLLOXdwUk/s1600/009.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In preparation for an upcoming concert, I had to pick up a LP metal vibraslap. &nbsp;I like the wooden ones better but the composition calls for this one. Either way., it's another sound in the arsenal. &nbsp;</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-12SGlLd6NQA/VKX4hn3r8zI/AAAAAAAACGU/MQNoY3dadyU/s1600/010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-12SGlLd6NQA/VKX4hn3r8zI/AAAAAAAACGU/MQNoY3dadyU/s1600/010.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><br />Ben Arnoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12158596293607665852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198010779208746295.post-19235575922975959012014-10-15T07:56:00.001-07:002014-10-19T11:45:26.936-07:00Matt Cameron and Concert Etiquette<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z2PfngQZxKQ/VD5_PB4Z94I/AAAAAAAACFI/ybfmx-hqRdw/s1600/8480810634_f7b6fa227e_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z2PfngQZxKQ/VD5_PB4Z94I/AAAAAAAACFI/ybfmx-hqRdw/s1600/8480810634_f7b6fa227e_z.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div><div><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #fff2cc; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Last night, I had the opportunity to see Pearl Jam. &nbsp;Pearl Jam is one of those bands from my youth that I never had the chance to see. I was excited to watch the show but mostly, I was excited to see the great Matt Cameron. &nbsp;</span></span><br /><span style="color: #fff2cc;"><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Matt's work with Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Temple of the Dog is already legendary and I knew he was a solid drummer. What I learned last night while watching him in person is that he might very well be the best rock drummer working today. &nbsp;</span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #fff2cc;"><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">It only took seconds for me to realize that Matt has a command of the kit that is rarely seen these days. His playing was understated, musical and perfect for each song. You get the sense that as a drummer, you're capable of playing everything he plays, but that if anyone were to try to replace Matt, the music would simply fall apart. Simply put, his playing is perfect.</span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #fff2cc;"><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">I always hate seeing concerts in arenas because the drums typically sound so bad. &nbsp;Matt's drums sounded amazing. They were perfectly tuned and mixed so that they never sounded thuddy or distorted. &nbsp;Furthermore, his bass drum was mixed at the proper level so that it didn't overpower the kit and it was tuned in such a way that it sounded like a bass drum and not like a click. &nbsp;</span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #fff2cc;"><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">If you haven't had a chance to see Mat Cameron live, I suggest you do. &nbsp;He's amazing and you will not be disappointed. &nbsp;</span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #fff2cc;"><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">__________________________________________</span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #fff2cc;"><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">I really did enjoy myself at the Pearl Jam concert but I do have a few complaints I would like to address. I understand that I am getting old. I also understand that my view of live musical performance as a magical experience is not shared by everyone. Keep that in mind as you read my following rant. &nbsp;</span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #fff2cc;"><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">The Pearl Jam concert was at the FedEx Forum in Memphis, TN. The Forum is a cave. The Memphis Grizzlies play in this arena so you can imagine the size and acoustical properties of the place. &nbsp;I believe there may have been 8 seats in the building that were worse than the ones I had. &nbsp;My tickets cost $88. I was excited to see the show even though I had expensive "cheap" seats. &nbsp;My gripe is that it appeared no one else around me wanted to see the show. &nbsp;</span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #fff2cc;"><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">From where I was sitting, I could see about 20 people in the surrounding rows without having to stand up or do any kind of weird straining. All of them, and I mean all of them, were recording the show on their cell phone. &nbsp;We were so far from the stage and the sound quality in a place like that is so poor, I can't imagine what they expected to take home. And why take it home? &nbsp;I have been to a large number of concerts and if you asked me to describe any of them, I bet I could do so in great detail. I don't need a recording of the concert, I was there!</span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #fff2cc;"><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">The cell phone thing has got to calm down a little. The lady behind me had her cell phone flashlight on the entire concert. It was so bright, I thought the band had added lights in my section until turning around to discover it was just some stupid lady. The guy who sat in front of me spent the entire concert writing his dissertation which he must have been sending to his advisor via text messaging. &nbsp;This guy was writing full screen texts and shipping them to someone. He never looked away from the screen during the entire show. &nbsp;His neighbor spent the entire concert playing a game on his phone. &nbsp;I know I shouldn't be bothered by such things but it is hard to concentrate on the music while there are so many blinding blue screens in my face. &nbsp;I recently saw Weezer and the guy in front of me recorded the entire concert on his ipad. &nbsp;It wasn't a big deal except he held the thing up right in my view so instead of seeing the band from the fourth row, I saw a tiny picture of the band that was directly in front of me. &nbsp;</span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #fff2cc;"><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">I couldn't believe how many people left their seats during the show. I spent $88 on this concert and I wanted to make sure I saw everything. The guy next to me left to get beer 12 times during the concert. 12! &nbsp;Why come to a concert if you are going to spend all of it in the beer line? &nbsp;Stay home and buy yourself a 6-pack. &nbsp;</span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #fff2cc;"><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Do I sound like a crazy old man? &nbsp;I probably am. I just wanted to see a good show and felt like my neighbors ruined it a little. Leave your cell phones at home people and learn to live in the moment you paid so much money to enjoy.</span></span></span></div><div><br /></div>Ben Arnoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12158596293607665852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198010779208746295.post-25957259774007957452014-09-19T21:26:00.002-07:002014-09-19T21:26:45.429-07:00Schlagwerk 2 in One Large Snare Cajon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I have wanted a cajon for some time but I have always been wary of actually owning one. There seems to be a stigma surrounding the instrument. &nbsp;I think some people see the cajon and immediately think that the person playing it picked the instrument because they're not good enough to play anything else. You and I know that's not true, but I believe that prejudice still exists. Anyway, I finally talked myself into buying one for an upcoming gig. &nbsp;I found selecting the right one was more difficult than I imagined. &nbsp;I am lucky to know people who own different makes and models so I have tried several different types of cajons in person. &nbsp;This allowed me a better educated guess about which cajon to buy than most people get. I spent several hours last week trying to find the perfect cajon and here are a couple of truths I discovered:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1. &nbsp;The cajon is a box of wood. &nbsp;For the most part, all of them sound basically the same. &nbsp;Some have more snare buzz and others have more bass, but basically, they all sound like a buzzy box of wood.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2. &nbsp;It doesn't matter how many videos you watch, the cajon you pick will not sound like the video.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">3. &nbsp;Just like with cars, a pretty girl sitting on top of a cajon, sells products. &nbsp;Listen with your ears, not your eyes. &nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">4. &nbsp;Try as many instruments as you can in person. &nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">5. &nbsp;Did I mention that these things are basically a wooden box with cut up snares in them? &nbsp;Seriously, this shouldn't be in the same difficultly level as selecting a ride cymbal. &nbsp; &nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">6. &nbsp;Apparently, only Germans know how to construct the Peruvian cajon because 9 out of 10 cajons seem to be built in Germany.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">7. &nbsp;You buy an oboe, you get a case. &nbsp;You buy a cajon, it's an extra $75 for a case. &nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I finally decided after much deliberation that the&nbsp;Schlagwerk 2 in One Large Snare Cajon was the best choice for me. &nbsp;Let me first say that out of the box, the instrument was choice. &nbsp;The industrial look of the playing surface is very cool and the unfinished look of the entire box adds to the overall aesthetic of the cajon. &nbsp;Of course, looks are not important. &nbsp;The sound of this cajon is so much more than I could have ever asked. &nbsp;The bass sound is huge and has very little snare rattle. &nbsp;The snares seem to have the perfect mix of snap and buzz. &nbsp;The slap sound you can get near the top of the cajon has a bright woody quality that is really different from the rest of the instrument. &nbsp;Thus far, I have discovered 3 distinct snare sounds, 2 bass sounds and several slap sounds. &nbsp;This instrument is simply the best cajon I have played.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-376gAANxp9o/VBztwOpkbLI/AAAAAAAACEM/wlGfKXeGoV8/s1600/003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-376gAANxp9o/VBztwOpkbLI/AAAAAAAACEM/wlGfKXeGoV8/s1600/003.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">One big plus with this cajon is that you can turn off the snares if you want. &nbsp;I would like to have a cajon where this adjustment is quick turn of a knob. &nbsp;However, all of the cajons I looked at that had a quick snare disengagement also seemed to have a mechanical flaw that was directly related to the snare adjustment. &nbsp; The snare on this model has to be adjusted by hand through the hole in the back of the cajon. &nbsp;It is a very practical, sturdy design (Germans) but not necessarily a quick one. &nbsp;I like the addition of two small sleigh bells. &nbsp;I have no idea what they add as you cannot really hear them, but I feel like they have a purpose I haven't discovered yet.&nbsp;</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Tlimosk__eo/VBztvyCD84I/AAAAAAAACEI/fFOrcyS00Ds/s1600/006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Tlimosk__eo/VBztvyCD84I/AAAAAAAACEI/fFOrcyS00Ds/s1600/006.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><br />I couldn't be happier with this cajon. &nbsp;I know many of you are searching for the perfect instrument. I don't have a lot of good advice aside for trying a lot of boxes and picking the one that is right for you. &nbsp;During your search, make sure you check out the Schlagwerk cajons. &nbsp;Good luck. <br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Ben Arnoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12158596293607665852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198010779208746295.post-75570545088527754922014-08-24T15:45:00.002-07:002014-08-24T15:45:25.650-07:00What's in Your Wallet...I Mean Stick Bag<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I had an interesting gig recently where I was surround by a ton of drummers. Between talking about gigs, money and women, we started this long discussion about what's in our stick bag. It was an interesting conversation and I thought it might be fun to discuss the topic here.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The items found in a drummer's stick bag can really say a lot about that individual. For this post, I am going to skip the inside of the stick bag proper and move to the pockets. &nbsp;It's what a drummer keeps in those side pockets that really demonstrates their personality. &nbsp;I realize that different type of stick bags, musical situations and other factors determine what you might find in someone's stick bag. I have an unusual stick bag that was custom made for me. It looks like a a regular stick bag but has a huge pocket on the front. The following is what I found inside that pocket this morning. &nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Towel:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I sweat a lot when I play so having a towel nearby is an awesome thing. &nbsp;This towel is a very important piece of equipment because when needed, it can also double as an external bass drum muffle, stick tray padding and in those rare instances, can be used to clean beer and blood off of your tubs. &nbsp;I especially like having a towel when I play outside. &nbsp;There's always that weird part of an outside gig where the sun starts to go down and the air fills with humidity. &nbsp;I will lay the towel across my snare on a break so that the batter head does not collect dew. &nbsp;It's super hard playing brushes on a head that is slightly damp. &nbsp;Remember your towel should be a dark color and that you must wash it after every gig. &nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MwQS8VgKxMo/U_pdhrS7CaI/AAAAAAAACCw/v4XjQXyDgG8/s1600/019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MwQS8VgKxMo/U_pdhrS7CaI/AAAAAAAACCw/v4XjQXyDgG8/s1600/019.JPG" height="175" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Drum Key:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is a Sonor drum key. I keep a drum key on my key chain so I don't need to keep one in my stick bag. &nbsp;However, this key is special because it has a slotted end. &nbsp;I have to use this key to tune my vintage Premiers which have slotted tension rods. &nbsp;</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Kady5JD_2sU/U_pdqL5LqOI/AAAAAAAACC4/LYqEcc_7veI/s1600/020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Kady5JD_2sU/U_pdqL5LqOI/AAAAAAAACC4/LYqEcc_7veI/s1600/020.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Sizzler:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">You never know when you might need one of these to help fill that sizzle void. &nbsp;I can't stand playing with it on a cymbal but it has got me out of a jam on occasion.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-egh4gZl1-7U/U_pdvOEwY5I/AAAAAAAACDA/dXB-e3cLTgI/s1600/021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-egh4gZl1-7U/U_pdvOEwY5I/AAAAAAAACDA/dXB-e3cLTgI/s1600/021.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>&nbsp;Shakers:<br /><br />I like these little shakers. I use them a lot and since they are so cheap, I suggest everyone to buy a couple. &nbsp;That Bossa Nova gig can get pretty boring without them.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SzCsbejlOYo/U_peExu58GI/AAAAAAAACDQ/wnwvMwT5E8c/s1600/023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SzCsbejlOYo/U_peExu58GI/AAAAAAAACDQ/wnwvMwT5E8c/s1600/023.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Bass Drum Beater:&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I usually carry a spare bass drum beater. &nbsp;I don't carry one because I'm afraid I'll need a replacement but I carry and extra in case I need a different bass drum sound. &nbsp;The one below replicates a wool beater for softer situations.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ThIBkmfnd6g/U_peLNZqr0I/AAAAAAAACDY/UwxRM7Hq8aI/s1600/024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ThIBkmfnd6g/U_peLNZqr0I/AAAAAAAACDY/UwxRM7Hq8aI/s1600/024.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Cymbal Kit:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This bag if full of cymbal parts. &nbsp;You never know when you might need and extra cymbal sleeve.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-667ViT8VvGo/U_peVahSTPI/AAAAAAAACDg/rPrlpCiZoDk/s1600/025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-667ViT8VvGo/U_peVahSTPI/AAAAAAAACDg/rPrlpCiZoDk/s1600/025.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Pencil:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A MUST!</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3TCn3Tnj8Fo/U_pehPN6oUI/AAAAAAAACDo/n9kE29_qQXA/s1600/026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3TCn3Tnj8Fo/U_pehPN6oUI/AAAAAAAACDo/n9kE29_qQXA/s1600/026.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Magical Rabbit:</div><br />This rabbit lives in my stick bag and sits on my bass drum when I play with my country-punk band Rape Whistle. &nbsp;I don't know where he came from or how he got in my stick bag but he's a magical mascot for that band. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1zmWpZz82Gc/U_pejzRRd1I/AAAAAAAACDw/a5Z9fOofeB4/s1600/027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1zmWpZz82Gc/U_pejzRRd1I/AAAAAAAACDw/a5Z9fOofeB4/s1600/027.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Ear Plugs: &nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">You've got to have ear plugs. &nbsp;I can't tell you how many jazz trio gigs have turned into hard hitting metal gigs in the blink of an eye. &nbsp;Protect your ears!</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-X02lZS0HIHI/U_pemQIDDPI/AAAAAAAACD4/sO5oE0lW1Pc/s1600/028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-X02lZS0HIHI/U_pemQIDDPI/AAAAAAAACD4/sO5oE0lW1Pc/s1600/028.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So, that's what I found in my stick bag this morning. &nbsp;Tomorrow it may be a whole new collection of things. &nbsp;Shoot me a comment below and let me hear about the unusual things you keep in your stick bag. &nbsp;</div><br />Ben Arnoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12158596293607665852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198010779208746295.post-60723401270823243452014-08-03T12:41:00.002-07:002014-08-03T12:41:29.989-07:001930s 12" Avedis Zildjian Splash Cymbal<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I was driving home form a long trip and needed to take a break. I took a random turn off the highway in Tennessee and found myself still unwilling to get back in the car even after spending 10 minutes in the parking lot of a filling station. I decided to drive around this exit and see if there was a place I could waste a few more minutes. I found a older style shopping mall which had been converted into some sort of consignment/antique mall. &nbsp;I love these sort of places because there is always something interesting to see. I didn't find much but this particular mall also had real stores, one of which was a music store. I had to check it out.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I was expecting the typical small music store experience but I was surprised by this little store. &nbsp;It had your basic low level stuff, like cheap guitars and band instruments but it also had a lot of weird instruments like homemade Native American flutes and some bizarre 3 string guitars. The most unusual thing I found was also one of the saddest things I've seen in a while. Someone had taken two vintage Slingerland bass drums and attached them to make an extended bass drum. The idea, while stupid, isn't that sad. The travesty was in the execution. The two bass drums were attached by screwing the rim of one drum to the shell of the second drum. Imagine if you will, rim/bass shell #1/rim-bass shell #2/rim. &nbsp;I wanted to take a picture but the store owner was bird-dogging me and I didn't want to look like a creep.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Anyway, there was a small stack of used no name cymbals sitting next to this drum set. I casually looked through the stack. The patina on this cymbal made it stick out from all the other sheet metal cymbals. &nbsp;I had to take a closer look.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VncCsoWLsQE/U96FZQgnhFI/AAAAAAAACCY/IeTy4eHfXKo/s1600/001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VncCsoWLsQE/U96FZQgnhFI/AAAAAAAACCY/IeTy4eHfXKo/s1600/001.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is a 12" (it's actually 12 1/4") Avedis Zildjian cymbal. This plate is so thin that I could easily bend it in half with my hands. The weight and malleability caused me some confusion as I have never seen an A that was so light weight. I have a 6" A splash which weights about the same as this cymbal. I took the cymbal to the counter and asked how much it would cost. The guy asked if I had a $10 bill in my wallet. I did and I left with a vintage 12" A Splash for $10. Not too bad. &nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div>Once I got home, I put the cymbal on a stand and found that the hole is slightly smaller than my modern cymbals. The cymbal has a beautiful dark tone when crashed and has an amazing choke sound when stopped with the hand. I looked up the stamp on a few websites and my best research found this cymbal to date somewhere between 1920-1940. &nbsp;I'm guessing it comes from somewhere in between. &nbsp;I could be totally wrong about this and it could have been made last year but I don't think so. I understand that I'm taking some guesses on the dates so if I'm wrong, just let me know in the comment section.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jHjipXHgR7Y/U96FaoE1EXI/AAAAAAAACCg/Tz5j4xe3a4o/s1600/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jHjipXHgR7Y/U96FaoE1EXI/AAAAAAAACCg/Tz5j4xe3a4o/s1600/004.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I've got a gig tomorrow and I think I am going to take this plate out to see how it sounds with a group. I bet it's going to be great.</div><br />Ben Arnoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12158596293607665852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198010779208746295.post-13883583509355612032014-06-23T22:30:00.003-07:002014-06-23T22:30:53.199-07:00The Mighty Pack-N-Roll<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here is a blast from the past. The Pack and Roll* was an essential piece of equipment (luggage) for drummers of the 1960s and 1970s. &nbsp;The idea was that you could put all of your hardware, cymbals, sticks, snare drum and other accessories in one case on wheels. &nbsp;Simply stack your bass drum and toms on top and your load in now becomes 1 trip instead of 12. &nbsp;It's never that simple, but the Pack and Roll (PNR) had it's day and most drummers of the rock era owned one. &nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TJlB93cuO-I/U6gnzQc9q2I/AAAAAAAACBs/TsBjsCSusTA/s1600/045.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TJlB93cuO-I/U6gnzQc9q2I/AAAAAAAACBs/TsBjsCSusTA/s1600/045.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here is my Pack and Roll. Her name is Cupcake. The box of a PNR of this vintage is usually built out of a fiber material which helps keep the weight down. The box sits on a wooden foundation. &nbsp;The PNR has a handle on each side, some nice casters and two seat belt type straps which hold the lid on. This is a pretty strong design as long as you don't over load the case with weight. &nbsp;For anyone who has owned one, you know that it is pretty easy to over load it. &nbsp;When this happens, usually the lid breaks first followed by the internal structure. &nbsp;At that point, your case was usually in serious need of duct tape or a dumpster. The straps wrap around the bottom which means you can use them to help lift the case but it is best to use the handles and the straps. Actually, the best thing is to lift from the bottom of the case, but who wants to do that. &nbsp;I usually use my straps to hold other things, like a carpet, tight against the lid. &nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It was common to accessorize your PNR with stickers, your name stenciled on the side in orange paint or, if you were super classy, a bitchin' air brushed picture of banditos riding their steel horses across the desert while being chased by the fuzz. This last picture matched the one on the side of your van. I do not use my PNR on drum set gigs. I use mine in percussion situations and often, it doubles as a table. &nbsp;I put a black towel across the top and place accessories on the lid. &nbsp;This saves me from having to carry more gear. &nbsp;I like to keep my case as clean as possible. &nbsp;As bad ass as a portrait of guys riding their steel horses can be, it doesn't really look great on the concert stage.**</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--eCbgGamvfM/U6goRNF0CWI/AAAAAAAACCI/DCW6iqYblKY/s1600/047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--eCbgGamvfM/U6goRNF0CWI/AAAAAAAACCI/DCW6iqYblKY/s1600/047.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The PNR has a tray on the inside which can be used to hold many different things. &nbsp;Most people use it to store hardware. The trouble with this is that a lot of modern hardware simply isn't made for easy travel. &nbsp;If you've got a set of flat based stands, this tray is golden. &nbsp;If you are packing Ludwig Atlas boom stands...good luck. I use a set of light weight Yamaha stands and they won't fit in the tray without taking them apart.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There is a small slot for cymbals &nbsp;I carry my cymbals in a case so they don't get damaged but if you don't care too much about your plates, they fit nicely here. &nbsp;My hand doesn't fit in the space allowed so it's a struggle for me to get cymbals out of this space. &nbsp;There is a small space next to the cymbal space. &nbsp;I have no idea what is supposed to go here.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gGzGo8469HA/U6goRiPBObI/AAAAAAAACCM/55PuwS-h_oo/s1600/049.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gGzGo8469HA/U6goRiPBObI/AAAAAAAACCM/55PuwS-h_oo/s1600/049.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Underneath the tray are two larger compartments. You can put all kinds of things here. As I mentioned, I don't use this case for drumset gigs so when I use this case, I typically have small drums or accessories in these compartments. &nbsp;A snare drum should fit in this space but mine won't because I keep all my snare drums in padded bags. &nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The Pack and Roll isn't something you see very often these days. Sadly, I think they lost footing in the case wars when people stopped driving vans. It's hard to fit one of these in your Toyota Prius. In addition, modern stands are made differently so this case is sort of out dated. It's simply not a practical case for hardware anymore. However, it is really useful in a lot of other situations, especially if you work as a percussionist and need to travel with an eclectic setup.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If you really want one, there are several companies who make their version of a PNR. These are made of heavy plastic and have better engineering all around, if you like that sort of thing. For me, I'm going to keep my PNR. If you find one of these older models, grab it. &nbsp;I think you'll fall in love just like hundreds of drummers before you. &nbsp;</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">*I'm going to bet that the Pack and Roll has an actual name. &nbsp;It's probably something like "Trap Case" or "Hardware Case on Wheels." &nbsp;I honestly have no idea what these things were called but the old guys I grew up playing with called them a Pack and Roll. I'm sticking with Pack and Roll for this post. &nbsp;If you've got something better, drop it in the comments.&nbsp;</div><br />**Says lame violin players. &nbsp;Jealous. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Ben Arnoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12158596293607665852noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198010779208746295.post-69853625852874609222014-05-06T19:51:00.001-07:002014-05-22T20:33:44.051-07:00Recital Part 1I performed a large solo percussion recital last week. &nbsp;In previous posts, I talked about some of the gear and setups I used for the concert. The program for the recital was as follows:<br /><div><br /></div><div>Merck's Tattoo--B. Michael Williams &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Riq</div><div>1 + 1--Philip Glass &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Amplified Table</div><div>My Lady White--David Maslanka &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Marimba</div><div>Cage for One--Dwayne Corbin &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Multiple Percussion</div><div>To the Earth--Frederic Rzewski &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Flower Pots and Speaking Percussionist</div><div>Hymn For Prayer--Benjamin Arnold &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Marimba</div><div>The Drum Also Waltzes--Max Roach &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Drum Set</div><div>Perfectly Frank--Daniel Levitan &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Congas</div><div><br /><div>I had a great time at the recital and I believe it went very well. &nbsp;There were some major issues before the gig. &nbsp;Massive tornadoes moved into the area and kept me guessing all day whether (weather) or not the gig would actually happen. &nbsp;They were so bad that 3 of my players couldn't even make the gig. &nbsp;In addition, one of the pieces I played used a prerecorded soundtrack. &nbsp;Until 15mins before the gig, I had no idea if I was actually going to be able to use the soundtrack for the piece. &nbsp;The sound man tried three very expensive cd players and for some reason could not get any of them to work. &nbsp;He finally borrowed a cheap boombox which he plugged into the master sound system. &nbsp;It worked just fine but had me pretty worried. &nbsp;It was after he fixed this problem that he told me the hard drive to the recording equipment had fried. &nbsp;So, I didn't get a recording of the gig. &nbsp;There were other issues as well but these were some of my favorites. &nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>I did have some luck however. &nbsp;One of my students illegally recorded the gig on his phone. &nbsp;I found out about it and now have a copy of that video. &nbsp;I'm not usually this vain, but I couldn't help myself. &nbsp;I have posted two videos below of the recital. &nbsp;It's not Tony Williams but you get to see and hear me having some fun. &nbsp;Keep in mind the video quality is pretty bad and so is the camera work for that matter. &nbsp;Beggars can't be choosers. &nbsp;I hope you enjoy the videos and I promise this will be the last I speak of this recital on this blog. &nbsp;</div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Ben Arnoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12158596293607665852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198010779208746295.post-62056398905696891992014-05-06T19:19:00.000-07:002014-05-06T19:19:38.855-07:00Recital Part 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is my interpretation of Max Roach's composition, <i>The Drum Also Waltzes.</i>&nbsp; It's not my best version of the piece but it's the one I played that night. &nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object width="320" height="266" class="BLOG_video_class" id="BLOG_video-30d49e35ffb29ab5" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="movie" value="//www.youtube.com/get_player"><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="flashvars" value="flvurl=http://redirector.googlevideo.com/videoplayback?id%3D30d49e35ffb29ab5%26itag%3D5%26source%3Dblogger%26app%3Dblogger%26cmo%3Dsensitive_content%3Dyes%26ip%3D0.0.0.0%26ipbits%3D0%26expire%3D1440660950%26sparams%3Dip,ipbits,expire,id,itag,source%26signature%3D554830FB42C5C1BA8258C1F2DD880F7F515995B6.1E69FE7DA3A9AE6CD45990202367F46A3048C759%26key%3Dck2&amp;iurl=http://video.google.com/ThumbnailServer2?app%3Dblogger%26contentid%3D30d49e35ffb29ab5%26offsetms%3D5000%26itag%3Dw160%26sigh%3Ds-QVTw05SgTzqHhil-tFvbbYrcA&amp;autoplay=0&amp;ps=blogger"><embed src="//www.youtube.com/get_player" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="320" height="266" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashvars="flvurl=http://redirector.googlevideo.com/videoplayback?id%3D30d49e35ffb29ab5%26itag%3D5%26source%3Dblogger%26app%3Dblogger%26cmo%3Dsensitive_content%3Dyes%26ip%3D0.0.0.0%26ipbits%3D0%26expire%3D1440660950%26sparams%3Dip,ipbits,expire,id,itag,source%26signature%3D554830FB42C5C1BA8258C1F2DD880F7F515995B6.1E69FE7DA3A9AE6CD45990202367F46A3048C759%26key%3Dck2&iurl=http://video.google.com/ThumbnailServer2?app%3Dblogger%26contentid%3D30d49e35ffb29ab5%26offsetms%3D5000%26itag%3Dw160%26sigh%3Ds-QVTw05SgTzqHhil-tFvbbYrcA&autoplay=0&ps=blogger" allowFullScreen="true" /></object></div><br />Ben Arnoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12158596293607665852noreply@blogger.com0